Bittersweet Wiegenlied
by Octoya
Summary: Set within the time period of Wiegenlied of Green, a fic where Keel Freesis' habit of collecting exotic and unusual things gets him into some trouble-very unusual trouble. As expected, it's the magical maid Michaela who has to save the day, with the help of Elluka Clockworker and an Amazing Spring Onion. It seems there is more to this story than it lets on.
1. A Wish

_It was the same today, again._

"_I wish…"_

_He looked, but he didn't see anyone there. "Eh?"_

_For a moment it was quiet, again, and he could continue working. But then it came again. It was a low voice, most of what it said intelligible. "Mine…"_

_He checked the hall, but no one was around. "Bruno?"_

_A little louder, it came._

"_I wish..."_

"_You wish...?" With a tense face he turned around._

_There was nothing for a time. He kept working._

_Then, low, "I wish…"_

"_WHAT?! What do you wish?! Finish the damn sentence!"_

_Then it was quiet, for the rest of the day._


	2. Murmured

I've heard that this was a very satisfying week for Mr. Keel. Recently, he acquired an antique for his collection that was imported all the way from Divine Levianta, and it arrived only a little while ago:

It was an old, old music box with tarnished silver and gold, and settings where jewels used to be. Mr. Keel said that the person who sold it doesn't know just how old it is, as it's come through the hands of many people through the years, but the insides have rusted and broken already.

But, today, Mr. Keel finally had the insides replaced completely; he let it play for Clarith and Yukina, and then for me when I asked. It was a very beautiful melody.

Probably it isn't the exact same song as it used to play, but hopefully it was very close.

In any case, there wasn't much going on in the mansion lately. It seemed to be the same work as a maid, day after day, and I guess it was a little boring. So I was glad to hear that a little excitement was here in the form of that music box.

But, even so... ...Since the day I got to see the music box play, I've had an uneasy feeling about it that's been impossible to describe.

Looking at it, such an old thing, I've felt like there was a cold pit deep in my chest—the song it played was beautiful and gentle, but that only made the feeling worse.

I guess I was the only one; Yukina liked to listen to it, and Mr. Keel thought it was very nice to have it working again. He put it in his study most of the time, so I wouldn't have to look at it if I didn't want to.

Since then, strange things have been happening.

It started with what Clarith was telling me that night,

"Yukina says that Mr. Freesis has been getting exhausted more often lately."

"Oh?"

"She says she can see it on his face. I admit, even to me he seems more tired."

When Clarith told me this, she had on a worried face. I gave her a little smile, "Tired? Maybe he's overworking himself."

"That's what I think, but Yukina has been quite upset over it," Clarith said. "Have you also noticed it, Michaela? He might be sick, but he hasn't said anything about  
it."

"I didn't think he was doing anything differently. Maybe he caught a cold."

If Mr. Keel was sick, I would have to be more careful not to catch anything from him.

Clarith was silent for a time. "There's…something else."

"Huh?"

"Ms. Yukina told me something scary that had happened to her recently."

Although saying it was scary, Clarith only had a small frown on her face.

"She was writing alone in her room one night, and out of the blue someone was patting her head."

"Patting her head?"

Clarith nodded, "Only no one else was there. I think she's just imagining things."

At the time, I agreed. After all, I'm sure human children had vivid imaginations, and Yukina's was more vivid than most.

But the next day, I heard from Gerda that Aile and Shaw complained of the same thing. Alone or otherwise, they felt a pressure on their heads, like an invisible hand was stroking their hair.

And the day after, I walked past Mrs. Mikina in the hallway and she also jumped, and her hand went to her head.

"Are you alright?"

I must have looked a little too anxious to her, because Mrs. Mikina tried extra hard to reassure me. "It was just my mind playing tricks on me, I think. I'm just fine."

"Was it someone patting your hair?"

"…Well not that exactly…" Mrs. Mikina gave me a funny look. "I should think you still have work to do, Michaela."

I left Mrs. Mikina, but through my work I couldn't stop thinking about it. In fact, that same afternoon things became even worse when I was carrying the laundry back  
inside.

"_Uaaaaaaaaaah!_"

Yukina bolted down the hallway, screaming as loud as she could. Clarith was running after her, trying to catch up with the girl. "_Mooooommmmyyyyyyy_!"

I also started running.

"What happened?" I called out.

Clarith didn't look back, "It was the same thing again!"

_Ah, I'm going to drop the clothes like this_. I came to a stop and had to fix my hold.

_"It happened again," huh?_

Mr. Keel was also in the hallway; he'd been so quiet, I hadn't noticed.

He seemed to be a little paler than before, and there were bags under his eyes. It seems he hadn't noticed Yukina. He didn't even see me until I called to him.

"Eh? Michaela?"

I bit my lower lip. "Are you alright, Mr. Keel?"

"..."

"Mr. Keel?"

"Huh?" He had drifted off again. He must really be sick. "Oh, I'm fine, Michaela. Just a little sleepy. And…I might need to get my hearing checked, I suppose."

He smiled at me. I tried to smile back. "Maybe you should get some rest…?"

"Oh, I'll make sure to go to bed early today. You know, there is a lot of work to be done though."

I might have been imagining things.

I thought there was something strange about Keel just then.


	3. By Someone

I did wonder if it was caused by the Vessel of Sin. That night, I used the Spring Onion to contact Elluka. 

"Exhausted all the time, eh? But it's not as though he's stopped working?"

"I think maybe Mr. Keel is just sick, but there's also been something odd happening with his children and Mrs. Mikina. They keep feeling like someone's patting them."

Elluka seemed to be doing some writing on the other side. "…Ehh, doesn't really sound like the work of a Vessel of Sin. But keep a close eye on them anyway—and Keel, too. Tell me if you find out anything else."


	4. With a Faint Voice

**Well this is me leaving an author's note oOO/ haillo!**

**Someone guessed the secret already ;-; *shot***

**I would like to say, though, that this fic was written before we learned what we did in SCaP concerning spirits owo;;; ****So it doesn't fully match canon. But then, that's going to be a lot of fics. **

* * *

As time went on, it only got worse.

It was more than just the children complaining about strange things; walking past Keel's study when he wasn't there, Gerda saw the candles flicker to life and then become extinguished. Doors kept closing on their own, and mirrors seemed to reflect nothing when someone first looked into them.

Even I and Clarith witnessed something strange, for ourselves.

It was when we were walking back in from the garden, and it was very late in the evening. Standing in the hallway, we both heard a voice. It was low and faint. I didn't understand anything it said.

And then a chill rubbed across both our shoulders and the whole spot began to grow cold, like it was in winter. Since then, that spot has remained cold, and there are others in the mansion now.

Worst of all was the way Mr. Keel had been. There were dark circles under his eyes, and he always seemed to be distracted. He didn't talk to anyone about it, although I did hear him talking to Bruno once or twice.

Once I heard him shouting at someone, but there wasn't anyone else around him when I went to check.

One thing, especially, was concerning to me; it was at the monthly banquet he held for all his friends and business partners.

At this banquet, I sang just like I had in some of the previous ones. I tried very hard today to do well, for his sake. But while I was doing so, I kept watching him.

When the song was halfway over, Keel's eyes flashed. His expression changed.

It wasn't...a bad expression, but he'd never worn it before. It seemed a little like the faces Clarith would make...a little lonely and distracted, his smile crooked.

Looking at him then, it was harder to recognize him; I got a cold feeling in my stomach.

I'm only being silly, but even so...I knew there was something very different going on.

After performing, I was surrounded by many admirers. Through them all, I saw Mr. Keel stagger a little out of the room.

_Where is he going?_ I tried to be polite, but I had to push past them all and hurry before he got out of sight.

Left to his own devices, Mr. Keel was only wandering, not seeming to have a destination.

Even so, he moved quickly. I ran to catch up to him, "Mr. Keel!"

"Yes~?"

When he turned to look at me, his face broke into a smile. A very, very different smile.

"...Wh...where are you going?"

"Going?" He frowned, then, and blinked rapidly.

I cringed. "You're leaving all your guests behind. D...didn't you like my show?"

With one hand, suddenly, Mr. Keel reached out and patted me on the head. "Of course I did~. Your voice is very beautiful, but that's befitting a cute young lady like yourself~."

I only stared at him, my mouth a little open.

_Is acting like this normal for humans?_ I didn't know. But Keel's pale face looked a little grisly with that smile.

"...Bye now," so saying, he turned and started to leave me there.

"But the...the guests-? You don't want to eat with the rest of us...?"

"Huh? ...I'm not hungry," Keel said, but then he stopped again.

His whole body was trembling.

He thrust out a hand against the wall, trying to support himself.

And then he fell in that place, crashing to his knees and then down on his stomach, his head hitting the ground.

"Mr. Keel!" I started to run. _Has he fainted?_

That was when I first saw it. Standing where Mr. Keel had been standing, a darkness. Like a cloud, or a fog, but with a human shape. I couldn't make it out very well, but looking at it, I got the same feeling that I had been getting for days, like my stomach was freezing. Only now, it was ten times worse.

It was almost too much for me to move. My human legs felt like they would collapse under me if I tried to walk.

The darkness didn't move. It was only standing there, over the unconscious Keel. I couldn't see any eyes, but it may have been looking at me.

Since then, Mr. Keel has awakened, and doesn't remember the banquet. But I began seeing that darkness more and more often, standing right next to him or just behind him.

And sometimes Keel's eyes would change and his smile would change and he'd act like he did that day. Since the day I heard the music box, that was my terrifying week. You see:

I was the only one who could see it.


	5. That Fell

A few days later, when I was able to rest alone in the evening, I took my first chance to call Elluka with the Spring Onion.

I told her everything I knew. I think my voice shook a little; human beings, when scared, have no control over themselves.

Elluka was silent for a long time, looking through books on the other side. In a little while, though, she spoke.

"Listen, Michaela, has Keel added anything special to his collection recently?"

Immediately, I thought of that antique music box. It made sense…the same feeling was coming from that box. "Actually, yeah…"

I could hear Elluka cursing, "That idiot should be more careful with the things he takes."

"Elluka…?"

This time, her voice was especially urgent. "I know what the issue is. What's attacking Keel Freesis now is the spirit of a deceased person," Elluka said.

"A deceased's spirit?" I again felt a little cold in my stomach. "Is that why…I'm the only one…?"

"Naturally being a kind of spirit yourself, you could see it first. It's possible for anyone with enough magic, though it becomes more obvious with time. It must be growing in power quickly since Keel summoned it."

"K…Mr. Keel summoned it?"

"Not on purpose, I don't think," Elluka sighed. "When he took that object into his collection, he could have been taking something that spirit valued very much. …Ordinarily, all the barred dead do is raise a fuss, but if it's hurting Keel, it has progressed to a grudge."

"It shouldn't blame Mr. Keel. He didn't know!"

"I think the proximity of a 'Vessel of Sin' is what's causing the problem. But otherwise, the kind of spirit that hasn't moved on isn't always pleasant or reasonable."

I wiped my eyes. "Well, what…do I do? Are you coming over to fix it?"

"No."

I blinked.

"Michaela, listen to me, it's already caused too much damage. There isn't enough time." As she talked, Elluka's voice got louder and more urgent, "You have to get Keel out of its path _now. _If you don't, it might be too much for him to recover from. Try to appease the spirit. Give back its treasured thing, apologize, do it as fast as you can!"

Without even saying goodbye, I dropped the Spring Onion and ran back inside the mansion.


	6. On Deaf Ears

Mr. Keel wasn't in his study; it was unlocked. I was easily able to take the Music box up in my hands, but it felt so cold I thought I was going to get frostbite. I tucked my hands into my sleeves and carried it with caution.

When I came back out, people were panicking. I saw Gerda and two of the other maids running down the hall, shouting.

Clarith was also running with Yukina, who was crying.

"Hey! What's wrong?" I reached out and grabbed her sleeve.

"Mr. Keel—he's gone mad!"

"Gone mad-?"

"Gerda's going to call for a doctor—he's in the sitting room and he's begun—acting like—" I could only stand there and listen for so long—this music box was starting to hurt my hands, even now! "Michaela! Where are you going?!"

I'm sorry Clarith. I'd have to explain it to you later, if I could. Right now, Elluka's words were echoing in my head. _Please don't be too late…_

The door to the sitting room was swinging open and closed, and the room was also getting cold as I approached it. All over, there were papers flying and one chair was scraping across the floorboards towards the opening.

I could hear shouting inside. Keel's, and also what sounded like Mrs. Mikina.

I took a deep breath. I wanted to be in a form that wasn't afraid. But I couldn't stop shaking. Is it just because of the cold?

I ran inside.

Mrs. Mikina was sitting on the opposite side of the room, and she seemed to be trying to curl into a ball. It was her doing most of the shouting while books and decorations flew everywhere. "Cut it out! Cut it out!"

Mr. Keel was standing in the middle, looking unsteady and his eyes wild. Or, rather…it was the spirit, so close that he and Mr. Keel were almost the same. It was shouting things with Mr. Keel's face, but I couldn't understand the words. He wasn't looking at anyone it particular; rather, he was just crying out and clawing at his head while everything moved around him.

So cold…

I took another deep breath. "Spirit! Mr. Spirit!"

Mr. Keel's eyes rolled up at me. His face was as white as a sheet, now.

"I—I found this—"

I was going to hold up the music box, but someone ran into me and I dropped it—like everything else, it started to slide across the floor. "Ah!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" It was Clarith. "Michaela, what are you doing?! Get away from that thing!"

I stopped.

"Huh? You can see it too?"

She looked from me to Mr. Keel. "It was just…a feeling at first, but…now…"

I didn't have any more time; Mr. Keel fell to his knees, and he started coughing violently as though he was being choked. "I need that music box!"

Though I chased after that small thing, it was flying faster with everything else in the room_. Am I going to fly off my feet next?_ It was so hard to hear, between the wind and Mrs. Mikina's screams in the corner.

Almost there—and then it spun off the wall away.

Again.

Again—

That darkness started watching me.

A chair slid into my legs and caused me to cry out in pain.

But—

Almost—

Then, Clarith shouted and dived for the box, as the wind slid it right out of my reach.

Her fingers closed around the bottom.

But just as she picked it up, with an eerie wail the spirit left from around Mr. Keel and came at her with a powerful speed. It rammed her into the wall, and the box flew away again—

Into Mrs. Mikina's lap.

At first I couldn't move—should I check on Clarith, or get the box? But the spirit had returned to Mr. Keel, and his face was grey.

"Michaela, get out of here, get help from someone…" Mrs. Mikina was saying, but I only took the box away from her.

It felt like ice. _Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow…_

I needed another deep breath for courage.

"Mr. Spirit!" I ran to him. I had to shout over all the noise in my ears. "Mr. Spirit! Look, here it is! It's your music box!"

Again, Mr. Keel's eyes looked at me. They were flashing like they did before.

My fingers were numb, but I started to wind it up. Somehow, it was even possible to hear the music through all the wind.

"It's working, just like it once did, isn't it? Here, you can have it back!" I shouted. "Mr. Keel is very sorry he took it, so please don't hurt him anymore!"

By now, the spirit had become so obvious, I thought I could see its own eyes. But its own eyes didn't change. In fact, the wind and terrifying things continued on as they did before.

"H-hey!" I cried, again. "I said he's sorry! I'm sorry! Don't you want it back?!"

Mr. Keel…muttering things in a language I didn't know…had fallen to the floor, and wasn't moving. The spirit…was becoming darker.

The only other sound was the music box. "Why…why isn't it working?"

"It's because that's not what it wants anymore."

I looked back. It was Clarith, standing up. She held onto her arm and was flinching; she might have broken something hitting the wall. "That could be what started it, but that's not it anymore. When he rammed into me…"

Was there no way to save Mr. Keel now…? My body started to tremble even more. It wasn't just because there were pens scratching my arms as I stood there.

But Clarith walked up even closer to the darkness in the center of the room, even though the wind was making her hair a mess and all kinds of things were hitting her body. She wobbled and almost fell a few times, but she kept going. The spirit was throwing all kinds of things at her.

She was only a few feet away from it; Clarith shouted out, "_You also love someone, don't you_?"

Like that, the wind died down, and everything started to fall to the ground.

The only sound was now the song of the music box.

"We can't understand each other very well," Clarith went on. Her voice got a lot quieter and it suddenly seemed hard for her to look up. "You lived so long ago…but I know enough to say I understand how you feel. I was also very lonely once."

Little by little, the color started to return to Mr. Keel's face.

"I also…would have given anything to trade my life with someone else's. It's painful, being like that every day, feeling as though you shouldn't exist at all. So what you're doing now, I understand it. But…you're not Mr. Freesis. Even though you two are alike, there are too many differences. And so taking his place, you'll only feel a new loneliness."

Clarith reached for the music box in my hands; I gave it after a moment; it was starting to feel a little less cold on my hands, but I had to breathe on them to warm them up.

She held out the music box. "Mr. Keel loves his family very much. And he's also loved. So to take him away, it wouldn't be good for anyone. Isn't there also someone that you love? Don't you want to find them? …It's not Mrs. Freesis," at that time, Mrs. Mikina was already running to Mr. Keel. "It's not Yukina. Or Shaw. Or Aile. Those aren't the people you're really looking for. Don't you remember?"

Little by little, that darkness became light. I started to see, although translucent, that the spirit had a real body in the palest colors.

It was a man, a lot like Keel, with cracked glasses, dark hair, and mournful eyes.

He inclined his translucent head towards the music box, which was still playing. He opened his mouth, and only said one thing. "_I wish…_"

"It's okay. Things can be better now. If you just try to improve them on your own. But you can't take someone else's life, even if it seems easier," Clarith whispered. "So please…don't hurt Mr. Freesis anymore."

"…" The man's mournful eyes filled up. Little by little, starting with his lower half, he started to vanish. "…_I didn't want_…"

Finally I said something. "Wait…don't go, yet, if we can still help you!"

"_Didn't want_…"

His voice floated up above us, and murmuring more words we couldn't understand the spirit disappeared from the room.

The music box stopped playing, and Mr. Keel opened up his eyes.


	7. A Bittersweet Song

**I accidentally forgot to post this little epilogue thing before marking the story as complete I am sorry ~ **

**But yes have a little epilogue thing OOO**

* * *

"Since then, we keep trying to summon it, but that spirit doesn't show up anymore."

"Well, it's probably for the best."

The next night I was finally able to fill Elluka in on everything that had happened. I had gotten many praises from Mr. Keel and Mrs. Mikina, and for Clarith it was the same. (She also got to take a break from most of her chores while her arm healed.) Even though, in the end, they didn't see the spirit, and they didn't seem to remember much about it. Mr. Keel especially.

Things hadn't gotten back to normal just yet. "Because of what Clarith saw, Mr. Keel is going to have the music box shipped back to Levianta."

"Mm?" Elluka suddenly interrupted me. "Did you say music box?"

"Oh, that was the source of the spirit; you were right about that."

"That was all she was right about," I heard Gumillia say on the other side.

"Shut up! It would have been right in other circumstances! But Michaela, this spirit, could you describe him?"

I told her some of his physical characteristics, and his resemblance to Keel. "And as Clarith said, he was a lonely spirit, who once loved his family. I guess it's a bit like Mr. Keel in that, too."

"I see…"

Elluka was quiet for a long time.

"I hope that in Levianta he's able to find the people he loved. I don't know if it's likely, though," I said.

Elluka stayed quiet.

Then, she said,

"I hope so too."


End file.
